Immigration is in the news and I have asked myself this very legitimate question: did I become a Quebecker thanks to immigration? I started by looking at the Gratton genealogy; my ancestor Claude-Jacques Graton emigrated from Poitou, France around 1668. He arrived with his wife and two children. He bought […] read more >>

Summer is almost over and it’s time to report; an interesting few months, not as productive as I would have hoped, but none the less satisfying. Summer began with a trip to Russia, on a river cruise that took us from St-Petersburg to Moscow, with a few stops on the […] read more >>

Part #6: CONCLUSION? The coroner then questioned a number of first respondents including Gerard Tobin, the fire chief of the city of Sillery where Bois-de-Coulonge was located. He described some of the difficulties encountered with incompatible fire hydrants, lack of water and low pressure. He admitted, however, that even without […] read more >>

Part 5: CORROBORATION? The next two witnesses described the circumstances surrounding the finding of the body among the still smoking ruins. Doctor Richard Authier explained that he was called to the site to examine a torso with no arms, no legs and no head. Brian Turpin, the fireman who found the […] read more >>

Part 4: The CORONER and the WITNESSES. The next step in my search was to obtain a copy of the coroner’s report. After an initial demand at the coroner’s office, I was directed to the Bibliothèque et archives nationales du Québec and within a few days I received the report, all […] read more >>

Part 3. CAUSES? The state funeral for Paul Comtois was held on Thursday and the press coverage was extensive; hundreds of political personalities were in attendance including Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson and opposition leader John Diefenbaker. Most papers reproduced the eulogy of Cardinal Maurice Roy, the Catholic Archbishop of Quebec. […] read more >>

Part 2: SPECULATIONS The obvious place to start was to peruse the daily papers of the day. That task was made easy by my late mother who had kept copies of all the newspapers published during the week that followed the death of her father. Without doubt she must have intended […] read more >>

Part 1: Doubts On the morning of February 21, 1966, Paul Comtois, Quebec’s Lieutenant-Governor died in the fire that destroyed the Bois-de-Coulonge mansion, his official residence. His death was quickly ruled accidental by a coroner’s inquest and the investigation into his death was quickly closed much to the relief of Jean […] read more >>

We are in 1984, on a beautiful Sunday morning, and, as the Mayor of St-Lambert, I am hosting a reception for the organizers of the Montreal Highland Games. The Games have become a tradition for St-Lambert and many residents on Riverside Drive, across from Seaway Park where the event takes […] read more >>

I have been a book collector for the last 40 years and, now that I have more time, I have decided to publish a blog on book collecting, a hobby often referred to as the “A gentle madness.” Auctions for collectors are held every week in Montréal and I unfailingly […] read more >>